Stick-candy cutter.



A. E. DEIVIPSEY.

STICK CANDY CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6. 1912.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Ari-flaw E. Dempse Eiwuwwtw.

COLUMBIA PLANOIJRAPH 00., WASHINGTON. D. c.

A. E. DEMPSEY.

STICK CANDY CUTTER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5. 1912.

1,16%,986. t Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANUIJRAPH CO.,WA5HINDTON, D. c.

'WTTE earns Parisian mama.

ARTHUR E. DEMPSEY, OF COUNCILBLUFFS, IOWA.

STICK-CANDY cnrrnn.

Application filed December 6, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. DEMPsEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Council Bluffs, in the county of Pottawattamie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stick-Candy Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of candymaking, and more particularly to machines for cutting stick-candy and the like into various lengths.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple and inexpensive machine for automatically cutting or breaking off stickcandy and the like into pieces of uniform length, to provide in such a machine adjustable feeding mechanism by which the length of the pieces cut may be regulated, to provide means for preventing the breaking of the sticks except at the desired places, to provide cutter-actuating means by which a plurality of the sticks are caused to be cut or broken off serially, and to provide means by which the pieces cut from the sticks may be carried away from the cutting mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, Fig. 3 is a detail transverse vertical sectional view thereof, on the plane of the line g y of Fig. 1, Fig. at is a detail front View of the cutting mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of the line wm of Fig. 3.

It may be noted that in the manufacture of stick-candy the sticks are drawn from plastic mass, and are rolled and cooled on flat-topped tables, the sticks being originally of great length. The long original sticks, after being cooled sufliciently to be quite brittle, are, ordinarily, cut by hand into the desired lengths for packing and sale, the cutting being eifected by means of an instrument similar to a pair of scissors, one part of which is passed beneath the sticks as the same lie parallel to each other upon the rolling and cooling table. The objections to this method of cutting the sticks are, in ad dition to the excessive time required for the hand operation, that the pieces out are not perfectly uniform in length, and a certain amount of waste is caused by accidental. breaking of the sticks at places other than those desired.

My machine is adapted to be used for cut- Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Dec. t, 1.915.

Serial No. 735,314.

ting into the desired pieces the long original sticks which are drawn, rolled and cooled in the usual manner, the machine being placed atone end of the cooling tableand the sticks belng fed lengthwise thereto off the table. The machine is preferably made of such size and weight that it may be moved about upon the floor and thus used in connection with a plurality of the cooling tables, the capacity of the machine being such that it may he used to cutup the product of several cooling tables. A part, or one end, of a cooling table A, such as above referred to, is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention I provide a pair of circular footplates 1 having upwardly extending internally-threaded neck-portions 2 thereon. The said foot-plates are screwed upon the lower ends of a pair of vertically extending pieces of iron pipe 3 which form legs for the frame of the machine. The height of the operating portion of the machine above the floor may be conveniently varied by screwing the footplates up or down relatively to the legs 3. The legs 3 are connected to each other, just above the threaded portions thereof, by a horizontal cross-bar 4. At the upper ends of the legs 3 are heads 5 from which the standards 6 extend upwardly. The heads are connected to each other by the horizontal table-plate 7, and at the front sides thereof are the arms 8, from the outer ends of which the brace-members 9 extend diagonally downward and connect with the legs 3.. In the upper ends of the standards 6 is journaled the drive-shaft 10 which is provided at one end with a hand-wheel or pulley 11 by which the shaft may be turned. At the op posite end of the shaft 10 is carried a crank 12 from which a connecting-rod 18 extends downwardly and is adjustably connected with a slotted lever 1-1 which is pivotally mounted on the end of a shaft 15. Said shaft 15 is journaled in suitable bearings formed on the brace-members 9, and has a ratchet-wheel 16 secured thereon, adjoining the lever 14:. On one end of the said lever is mounted a paw1'17 which is adapted to engage the ratchet-whee1 to intermittently actuate the shaft 15 during the oscillation of the lever caused'by the rotation of the driveshaft 10. A. pawl 17 pivoted on one of the members 9 engages the ratchet-wheel to prevent reverse movement thereof. The amount of angular or rotative movement imparted to the lever by the uniform reciprocating movement of the connecting-rod 13 may be varied by changing the connection of said rod 13 with the slotted part of the lever, the rod being connected closer to the pivotal center to increase the movement of the lever, and being connected closer to the outer end of the lever to decrease the amount of rotative movement. Thus the amount of movement imparted to the feed-shaft 15 at each revolution of the drive-shaft 10 may be varied within the desired limits. On the shaft 15 adjacent to the legs 3 are secured a pair of drums 18 to which are connected the ends of cords 19. Said cords extend from the drums around grooved guide-rollers 20,

' thence upwardly and around small pulleys 21 mounted in the rearward part of the table-plate 7, thence horizontally rearward, and have their endsconnected with the ends of a push-block 22 which rests slidably upon the table A. The guide-rollers 20 are revolubly mounted on a rod 23 which is slidably supported in the lugs extending out from the lower part of the brace-members 9, as shown in Fig. 2. On the central part of the rod 23 is secured anarm 24 which extends forwardly therefrom and has at its end an internally-threaded portion fitting upon a threaded part 25 on the central portion of the shaft 15. The pitch of the threads on said parts is made equal to the diameter of the cords 19, so that during each revolution of the shaft 15 the rod 23 and guide-rollers 20 are moved longitudinally of the shaft a distance equal to the diameter of the cords, and the cords thus caused to wind smoothly and evenly upon the drums.

In the operation of the machine the same is placed with the rearward edge of the table-plate 7 adjoining the end of the cooling table A, as shown, so that the plate 7 push-plock 22 is raised up and carried back over the table A until it is behind the ends of the sticks B lying upon the table, and is then placed upon the surface of the table behind the ends of the sticks. The pawls are then engaged with the ratchet-wheel, after which rotation of the drive-shaft 10 causes intermittent movements of the push-block to feed the sticks B uniform distances toward the cutting or breaking mechanism.

In the standards 6 are vertically extending slots which form guideways for the ends of the cutter-bars 26 and 27. The lower cutter-bar 26 extends through the slots and its ends are connected by rods 28 with eccentrics 29 carried on the shaft 10. adjoining the outer ends of the bearings therefor. The upper cutter-bar 27 is connected by rods 30 with eccentrics 31 carried on the shaft 10 adjoining the inner ends of the shaft bearings. The eccentrics 29 are alined with each other longitudinally of the shaft, so that both ends of the cutter bar 26 are raised and lowered simultaneously, and the cutting edge of the bar is constantly in a horizontal position. The eccentrics 31, however, are placed slightly out of alinement with each other, or so that one of them leads the other with reference to the rotative movement thereof. As a result of this arrangement of said eccentrics, the ends of the cutter-bar 27 do not move up and down simultaneously with each other, but one end of the bar reaches its extreme upper or lower position in advance of the other, and is moving upwardly, or downwardl as the case ma y be, when the other end of the bar reaches its extreme position. Said cutter-bar thus moves downwardly while in a slightly inclined or tilted position, or with one end lower than the other, as represented in Fig. 4, and during the upward movement is also in an inclined position but with the first-mentioned end higher than the other, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. a representing the lower edge of the bar. The bar is horizontal momentarily at each end of its stroke, While the eccentrics 31 are at equal distances on opposite sides of their dead-centers. he connections of the rods 30 with the bar 27 are formed so as to permit the slight rocking or tilting movement therein required to enable the described movement of the bar. The adjacent edges of the cutter-bars are beveled on their front sides so as to form cutting edges, and the eccentrics are so disposed on the shaft that the general direction of movement of the bars is opposite, thelower bar 26 moving upwardly while the upper bar 27 is moving downwardly. The movements of the cutter-bars are such, however, that their adjacent edges do not come into contact with each other, as, owing to the brittleness and fragility of the materials operated upon, it is merely necessary that opposite sides of the sticks be struck and slightly penetrated by the sharp edges of the cutter-bars, in order that the sticks may be broken off at the points engaged. In view of this fact, the machine may operate upon sticks of various sizes without adjustment, the structure being such that the cutting edges approach each other closely enough to strike the opposite sides of the smallest sized sticks operated upon, and move far enough apart to permit the largest sized sticks to be fed between them during that part of a revolution of the drive-shaft in which the feed-mechanism is actuated. It will be understood, of course, that the actuating mechanism is so timed that the sticks are fed forward during the time that the cutter-bars are farthest apart. A further fact to be noted concerning the structure of the cutting mechanism, is that the lower cutter-bar moves so that at the time the sticks are engaged by the upper bar they are held slightly above the surface of the table-plate 7, shown in Fig. 3. The consistency of the material is such that the sticks will bend slightly without breaking, but if, while they are resting upon a flat surface, the sticks are struck sharply at one point they are liable to be broken or cracked at a point or points other than that which is struck. If, however, the sticks are supported only at points immediately opposite the points struck they will break only at such points.

Behind the cutter-bar 27 is a transverse rod 32 of which the ends pass through vertical slots in the standards 6. The rod is held in place by means of nuts 33 screwed on the ends thereof outside the standards and adjustable vertically to a position such that the sticks B will be just beneath it when they are cut off. The said rod serves as a stripper to prevent any possibility of the sticks adhering to the upper cutterbar and being carried upward thereby during the receding movement of the cutterbars.

The cutter-bars are ofiset laterally near their ends, as shown in Fig. 5, so that throughout their central portions their front sides are coincident with the front sides of the standards 6. The cutting edges of the bars, being beveled on the front sides only, tend to push forwardly the severed pieces, while the straight rearward edges have no tendency to move the original sticks longitudinally. This feature of the structure is of importance, since a rearward pressure upon the sticks being resisted by the pushblock might result in breaking the sticks at some point between the push-block and the cutter-bars.

On the arms 8 are formed suitable bearings for two rollers 841- and 35 around which is passed an endless conveyor-belt 36 of which the rearward edge passes just in front of the standards Said conveyer-belt is adapted to receive the pieces cut from the sticks l5 and carry them to one side to a suitable receptacle. The conveyer is actuated by means of a belt 87 which extends from a pulley 38 on the shaft 10 to a pulley 39 on the shaft which carries the roller 3d, the directions of movement being as indicated by arrows.

The operation of the machine will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It should be noted, however, that owing to the peculiar movement given to the upper cutter bar 27 the series of sticks 13 fed between the cuttenbars by the push-block are not all engaged by said bar 27 and cut or broken off simultaneously. Referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the upper cutterbar engages the sticks first at one side of the machine and severs them progressively, engaging last the stick at the opposite side of the machine from the stick first engaged. This distribution of the severing operation through a greater part of the operating cycle makes the actuation of the machine more easy and smooth, so that less power is required to run it.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, feeding mechanism, means for intermittently actuating the same, a pair of vertically movable cutter-bars, means for recipprocating one of said bars, and reciprocating differently-timed actuating means for the opposite ends of the other cutter-bar, where by said bar is alternately inclined toward the respective ends.

2. In a machine of the class described, a drive-shaft, guideways extending substantially radially to said shaft, a cutter-bar slidably disposed in said guideways, two eccentrics carried by the shaft, and means pivotally connecting them with the ends of the bar, the eccentrics being arranged at different relations to the shaft, whereby the reciprocating movements of the respective ends of the cutter-bar are of diiferent phase.

3. In a machine of the class described, a table, means for feeding sticks lengthwise across the table, a reciprocating bar moving adjacent to one edge of the table and adapted to engage the sticks and raise them out of contact with the table, and a' second re: ciprocating bar cooperating with the first to sever portions from the ends of the sticks without engagement or overlapping of the reciprocating bars.

a. In a machine of the class described, a table, means for pushing sticks lengthwise over the table, a pair of reciprocating cutter-bars moving alternately toward and away from each other, without contacting or overlapping, said cutter-bars being disposed at the edge of the table so that the end-portions of the sticks are pushed between them, the adjacent edges of the cutterbars being beveled on the sides thereof opposite that from which the sticks approach the bars, whereby said beveled edges may tend to push the severed portions of the sticks away from them, and a conveyer arranged to receive the severed portions of the sticks.

5. In a machine of the class described, a table, means for feeding sticks lengthwise over the same, a pair of reciprocating cutterbars moving adacent to the edge of the table and arranged above and below the endportions of the sticks, the lower cutter-bar being adapted to raise the stic is slightly above the table as the cutter-bars move toward each other, and a vertically adjustable strippingiod disposed near the upper outter-bar and normally out of contact with the sticks to prevent the sticks being carried up by said bar..

6. In a machine of'the class described, a pair of reciprocating cutterbars movable alternately toward and away from each other, means for simultaneously feeding a plurality of sticks between said cutter-bars, and actuating means for one of said cutterbars adapted to move one end of the bar to- Ward the sticks in advance of the other so as to engage the same with the sticks serially.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR E. DEMPSEY.

Witnesses:

D. O. BARNELL, A. R. MITCHELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. I). C. 

